JK’s actually sensible fire kit

Mon, Jun 23, 2008By: storl

Cat and claraka’s fire kits were pretty ridiculous, so I figured it was about time to start making kits that were actually usable. JK’s is the first one that more closely resembles something that I would actually carry.

The case is from a J&J first aid kit that I picked up in the travel section of Target. The kit includes: duct tape, PJ cotton balls, sawdust and wax fire starters, a mini Bic lighter, two small firesteels, a hacksaw blade to use as a firesteel striker, and a one handed Spark Lite or whatever they are called.
Some notes for JK:

-Use the duct tape to hold tinder in windy conditions. It also burns well, so it can be used as a fire starter if you need it.
-You won’t need an entire PJ cotton ball or sawdust square for a single fire. Break them into smaller pieces so the contents will last longer. Just make sure you have some second stage tinder that the fire starter can light, and you will be fine with a small amount of one or the other.
-Use the squared off end of the hacksaw blade, not the side with the teeth, unless you want the firesteels to last for five minutes before disintegrating.
-The Spark Lite kind of sucks, but it can at least be used with one hand. The PJ cotton balls will light easily with it, but the sawdust squares will take a little more effort. Use a knife or the hacksaw blade to scrape off some small particles of the sawdust square onto the top of a larger piece, and light the particles. This will be much easier than just trying to light a large piece with a firesteel or the Spark Lite.
-Put a ranger band (large rubber band, usually made from an inner tube) around the kit to make it waterproof. This is not completely necessary, since the only thing that would be affected by water is the Bic. I didn’t have any at home, or I would have done this myself. A ranger band has the added benefit of burning nice and hot when it is lit.
-Don’t burn your house or any forests down.